Whenever in the judgment of the department of natural resources any state, school, granted, or other public lands of the state will be specially benefited by any proposed reclamation project approved by the department of ecology, it may consent that such lands be included in any reclamation district organized for the purpose of carrying out such reclamation project, and in that event the department of natural resources shall be authorized to pay, out of current appropriations, the district assessments levied as provided by law against such lands, and any such assessments paid shall be made a charge against the lands upon which they were levied, and the amount thereof, but without interest, shall be included in the appraised value of such lands when sold or leased.
[ 1972 ex.s. c 51 § 7; 1919 c 158 § 8; RRS § 3011.]